"Now more than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this." – Martin Scorsese.

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MUBI: Conclusion.

Some of the films currently in the MUBI on-line library (November 2013)

It’s been nearly three months since I began using the on-line streaming website MUBI. Now that I’ve spent a good amount of time getting to know the site, this seems like an appropriate point to start discussing my experiences with it. I did an introductory article on this website back in September – you can read this here. To re-cap, and for those of you who are unfamiliar with this site, MUBI provides subscribers with a library of world cinema, on demand. For the humble price of just £2.99 a month you have access to a selection of 85 films; a new one is uploaded each day whilst the oldest vanishes from the site. The amount of films you have access to may vary depending on your region; 85 seemed to be the maximum available to me. As well as the on-demand-service that MUBI provide, there is also a socialising section of the site. This area contains the magazine that MUBI also provide for subscribers. This digital magazine, entitled Notebook is filled with a variety of reviews, news and adverts that will catch the interest of any world cinema fan. At the moment, the magazine informs viewers of the upcoming on-line film festival ‘Dialogue of Cultures’ that MUBI also co-ordinate. Even in the short time that I have been using the website, I can see how quickly this company are growing. Somehow, MUBI are managing to explore multiple avenues, from streaming to festivals, and still consistently deliver a high quality service to its users.

At first, I was unsure as to what I thought of the site’s policy on clearing and adding a different film each day. I was initially put off by the fact that I was paying a subscription for films I could only watch within a set number of days. Yet, as time has gone on I’ve found that this time limit that is applied to the items in the library motivates you to make the most of the site. Rather than paying a subscription and then forgetting to use the site, I was motivated to watch particular films and get my money’s worth. My initial three month subscription has been complimentary as part of my membership with the Edinburgh Cameo but if I had paid for the last three months with the site I would have paid a total of £8.97 to watched the following films:

Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes

Primer (2004)

Capturing the Friedmans (2003)

The 400 Blows (1959)

Naked Lunch (1991)

Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)Dogtooth (2009)

Scanners (1981)

Chopper (2000)

The Conformist (1970)

Two of the above films were re-watches and the rest were brand new to me. We’re looking at less than a pound per film and the majority of these are not films that you can find on the shelves of your local entertainment retailer. Sometimes it’s even difficult to find these on sites as vast as Amazon. What MUBI has offered me more than anything is the opportunity to see less well know films by some great film makers that I am already slightly familiar with – such as Shane Carruth and Jim Jarmusch. The site offers films that span over almost one hundred years. From the silent era to contemporary independent cinema, from documentary to science fiction, MUBI offers an outstanding range of cinema. In regards to the sites technical attributes I have found the site easy to use and the streaming has been flawless. MUBI is professional, creative and a fantastic investment. In the constant fight against cinema piracy, MUBI offers a diverse film catalogue that you can watch legally and at a price that even us struggling students can afford.

Thanks for reading and let’s all keep supporting our beloved film industry.